FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to purchase a license for Reaper?

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Yes. Absolutely. While Reaper uses a free-forever model for its trial period, you are doing a disservice to the very creators of the tool if you do not support their work. Goodness always returns ten-fold. So please buy a Reaper license – especially if you have already purchased an OTR license.

How much is a Reaper license?

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The Reaper license is only $60 for personal use. It is easily the most affordable DAW available – and also the most feature-rich. The license even covers subsequent major version releases.

Can I use OTR with the trial version of Reaper?

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Yes! Reaper’s trial version is exactly the same as the licensed version. It is fully featured with no time limit restrictions at all. There are absolutely zero restrictions when using Reaper without a paid license. But, please – don’t treat it like WinZip where everyone used it and no one actually purchased it. Goodness has a way of coming back ten-fold. So, please, help those that are helping you.

Why is OTR a separate purchase from Reaper?

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Reaper is, itself, a standalone DAW. OTR is essentially a hot-rodded upgrade that makes the Reaper user experience complete – which is exactly why Reaper was created and how it is intended to be used. Kinda cool, huh?! Reaper does a lot of things well out-of-the-box for basic uses, but for the meat-and-potatoes of Composer’s & VI-Artist’s workflows, the features are non-existent. Those same features are non-existent in every DAW though. But the Reaper creators did something really awesome. They provided a scripting language that programmers can use to customize the platform for their personal needs. In many ways it is comparative to what Unix is for IT programmers. Except, this is a DAW and not an operating system. With Unix, Steve Jobs decided to turn it into something everyone could use. And so he did. It became OS X. In a similar way, OTR is like OS X. It is a collection of custom programmed scripts and actions that enable composers and artists to do what has never before been possible in a DAW. Maybe one day, it will even come in its own distribution package instead of the Reaper + OTR concept.

Are any features limited by the trial version of Reaper?
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Nope. None at all.

Are any features in OTR limited by using the trial version of Reaper?
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Again, nope. None at all.

Will OTR overwrite my existing Reaper scripts I’ve written and used to customize Reaper?
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Complicated answer. If you follow the install steps, then you can save your previous Reaper environment and just treat the OTR environment as a separate “user experience.” You will not have any of the previous customization functionality in the new OTR environment, though. If you decide to add any custom scripts to OTRs environment after it is installed, chances are those customizations will be lost with any subsequent OTR updates. This isn’t because we want to be difficult. Rather, the manner in which Reaper was originally programmed only considered user-customized experiences. In effect, only you know the changes you make. But for OTR to exist, it uses one person’s creation for everyone’s benefit. In subsequent OTR releases, and with the coordination of Reaper’s development team, we hope to nip this quip in the bud. Regardless, OTR works as intended and will continue to function as intended for the lifecycle of the product.

What is included with the purchase of OTR?
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OTR comes with the software itself, that integrates with Reaper. OTR also includes all basic track templates (including pre-configured Kontakt track templates) and the main project template. A TouchOSC template is also provided for users of TouchOSC. If you do not currently use TouchOSC, it is a free download for the desktop software, and can be purchased for Tablets for the low price of around $5 via your tablet’s AppStore.

Are TrackPacks a separate purchase?
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Yes, TrackPacks are separate purchases from OTR. This is due to the sheer amount of work that is required to setup, configure, and maintain in-sync updates with the major VI libraries. The idea behind TrackPacks is that the user will not have to spend the countless hours setting up newly purchased libraries, or revising templates when developers release new updates to their VI engines. So, really, the one-time price of admission for each TrackPack is a negligible expense for a composer when purchasing a new library, but the cost goes a long way in helping us continue to provide “right-click insert” usability in OTR for these incredible VI libraries.

I purchased a TrackPack, but Kontakt is saying it cannot find the samples. I own the library. Why is that?
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The first time any TrackPack that uses Kontakt is launched, you will be prompted to find the samples. This is because every user has a different computer setup for sample libraries. Once you locate the library, and the VI is fully loaded in Kontakt, right click on the track and click “Save as Track Template.” Just save the template over the original one and you should be fine. If you want to make sure you are as efficient as possible, you may want to purge the samples in Kontakt and deactivate the track before saving the particular TrackPack.

My TrackPack includes VIs I do not own. Does this mean I can use them?
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You can try, but it won’t work. In the case of Kontakt instruments, if you do not own the library you purchased a TrackPack for, you still will not have any of the sample content or license access to make the instruments work within Kontakt. With instruments other than Kontakt, if you do not have the plugin installed, it won’t load on the TrackPack template at all. As a whole, TrackPacks are intended to speed up the process for something you already own.

Why is my VI not available as a TrackPack?
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Hold up there buddy. One man’s creation for the benefit of everyone means that the initial launch of OTR will only have available what is initially available to him (errr…me – since I am writing this FAQ too). So ultimately, I plan on adding as many of the most popular VIs as possible. But this also will require some collaboration and support from the VI developers for the ones I do not own – otherwise I am going to have to buy the VIs I don’t own outright just to add them to TrackPacks. Um… yikes?

Why will my compression and reverb plugin not work on the category or group tracks?
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Rest assured it does. There is just a tiny detail in the manual that pertains to signal flow that might have been overlooked. The Category and Group Tracks are typically configured as 16 channel audio tracks due to the complexities of the track routing occurring behind the scenes. Most plugins only process 2 channels of audio. Luckily, there is an option around this limitation. When you load up your plugin, there is a plugin configuration grid in the top right corner of your VST. It usually says something like “2 In, 2 Out” on the button itself. When you click it, you can now select the other audio channels being utilized. Typically, you will select channels 1-2 for most tracks, 13-14 for tracks routed to the Orchestral Hall, and 15-16 for tracks routed to the Choir Hall. The outputs should ALWAYS mirror the inputs on those particular channels. In the rare instance there is some other craziness going on with your particular track setup, you may need to place channels 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12 into your plugin matrix and output to their mirrored outputs as well. This could involve the use of duplicate plugins to accommodate the stereo processing limitation. And no, a “surround” plugin will not necessarily be able to accommodate all of these tracks either. These stereo groups are routed just like the Kontakt instruments as separate mic positions which ultimately get summed to the 1-2 track, but if you have chosen to bypass most of the dominant features of OTR, then you may have to manually select these channels for your plugin.